While President Obama’s terms in office marked the beginning of widespread use of CIA drones for assassination campaigns, in his last couple of years in office, he dramatically shifted focus, aiming to limit CIA drone operations to intelligence gathering and confining the authority to carry out strikes to the Pentagon.
President Trump appears to have quietly reversed that limitation since coming into office, with reports out of the Wall Street Journal quoting officials as saying the CIA once again has the authority to carry out such strikes, with Syria explicitly singled out as the main target for this authority, and officials saying that it would likely expand elsewhere around the region.
It is particularly noteworthy that this change appears to have been made some time ago, and that the Trump Administration simply never told anyone about it. Even today, they have refused to comment on the matter.
The Pentagon is required to report on its use of drone strikes, and to intermittently offer reports estimating the number of civilians killed. While the Pentagon’s reports often grossly underestimate the death toll, that they offer figures at all was a change from the early CIA-centric drone war.
The CIA generally refuses to confirm or deny carrying out any drone strikes, and thus never accounts for who did or didn’t get killed. While the lack of even nominal disclosure makes it impossible to say how many drone strikes the CIA has launched under this new authority, it is noteworthy that the Pentagon has offered virtually no feedback on the flurry of drone strikes against Yemen in the past two weeks, which might suggest that they are part of a covert campaign.
July 23, 2016 Study Says Drones Generate More Terrorism
Using lethal drones to kill “bad guys” on the other side of the planet is offensive to many people on moral grounds, but a new study finds it is also ineffective in reducing terrorism, observes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar.
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/07/23/study-says-drones-generate-more-terrorism/
JULY 19, 2016 US air strike in Syria kills nearly 60 civilians ‘mistaken for Isil fighters’
US air strike killed nearly 60 civilians, including children, in Syria on Tuesday after the coalition mistook them for Islamic State fighters.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/19/us-air-strike-in-syria-kills-up-to-85-civilians-mistaken-for-isi/
Which part of that post demonstrates your insight Brian?
Personally, all the discussion on drones, as opposed to killing people with bombs is quite beside the point of the antiwar agenda. Can you explain how it isn’t?
A plausible outcome of the whole anti-Trump campaign is that he’ll build alliances with the CIA and the Pentagon by giving them more power and the freedom to do whatever they feel like. It would be the worst of both worlds and it would happen with and because of the enthusiastic support of all the well meaning people out there who oppose him. And nobody needs to realize that because all the policy decisions would just be seen as ‘what Trump wants’. The public as useful fools of the miliyary industrial complex.
Well it’s just my current thinking, I might change my mind about it.
And this article might help then
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/03/14/trumps-quiet-outreach-to-russia/
A thoughtful person there.
Obama was reining in the drone strikes? Are you sure? All we heard about was a continuous easing of restrictions on them.
Jason Ditz, I would caution you to hesitate on giving Trump credit/discredit on anything to do with the military. His lack of any kind of understanding would have led him to tell his generals that they have free reign to do what he considers to be ‘making America great again’.
However, it’s good to make the point that Trump exceeds Obama’s use of drones, even though hardly anyone will accept it. This board is an apology for Trump, nearly completely top to bottom.
Back on topic, drones are an effective method of killing people which is much safer for the killer from 30,000 feet. Probably more cost effective too, which should be a plus for most of your audience!
I voted for Trump but don’t consider myself an apologist. This constant needling of Russia, Syria, Iran and N Korea is simply absurd. For too many years the West with the US in the lead has been acting like a bully. It may appear Trump is anti-globalist domestically but from a foreign policy point of view he’s still a globalist.
what if the President trusts Pompeo more than he trusts Mattis ?
Trading in one RC death squad for another? Way to drain the swamp, Donny! Why not just have everybody at the Pentagon change clothes with the folks at Langley. That’ll show em.